Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-09-17
ALASKA AURORAS.
A Most Marvellous and Beautiful Arch of
Kaleidoscope Light.

A Most Marvellous and Beautiful Arch OF
Kaleidoscope Light.
Lieutenant Ray, in his report to the gov
eminent on the international Polar expedi-
ton to Point Barrow, Alaska says: every
clear night the sky was illuminated by the
most beautiful displays of aurora it has ever
been my fortune to witness. They always
commenced in the northeast and the north
west, and seemed to spring from dark, low
bank of clouds. The lights were never
stationary for a single second, neither did
they ever take the form of bows or
arches. so often seen in other la,i-
tudes, but great curtains of light,
flashing with all the prismatic colors, seemed
to be drawn across the heavens, ever rising
and changing, and often eliminating in a
corona Of the zenith and falling like shower
of meteoric fire. AS the winter advanced
these displays were more brilliant. and were
always of character that deties description,
either by pen or pencil as they were never
for two seconds alike. They were unaccom
panied by any sound, so far as we were able
to observe, and the deathly stiffness that
always prevails in this region when the sea
is closed gave us an excellent opportunity to
detect any sound had there been any"
Lieutenant Ray thus more specifically de-
scribes one of these auroras-one of the
most magnificent displays that he observed,
and which occurred December 8, 1881:
1.-THE first appearance was in the south
and southeast, and for several hours nothing
appeared but few pale arches and bands,
which had no remarkable features worthy
OF notice except the rapidity with which
They appeared, faded and reappeared in
various parts of the sky so quickly that it
was very difficult to localize them. At 240
A. M. a narrow greening-yellow arch, with
beautiful rosy fringe, developed in
the south-southeast and in few
minutes extended through Taurus, Cas-
siopeia and Cygnus down to the
north, and for about ten minutes displayed
some extremely beautiful tints, especially
along its northern halt. 1t seemed to be
composed of an infinite number of short
rays in condition of intense vibration, the
motion being principally in the direction of
its length, while flashes of the most vivid
coloring beamed out in the most bewldering
variety. At the same time numerous rays
and patches of quivering light appeared in
various parts of the sky in quick succession,
dancing and gyrating to and fro, swift as the
lightning flash. While the northern half of
the arch remained thus brilliant the south
ern half faded away.
"a few minutes afterward patch of rosy,
greenish light appeared in the middle of
Orion, and in a minute or two developed
into numerous sheaves of rays with the
greatest variety and intensity of motion, and
displaying the most brilliant colors as they
rose and converged to a point close to the
star Algol forming an imperfect but most
brilliant corona, which swayed and swirled
and eddied around our zenith with kaleido-
scropic magnifcence utterly indescribable.
The changes of tint, aspect and position were
so rapid and numerous that the eye strove to
follow their bewildering confusion in vain.
The general motion was to the north, though
brilliant curtain was at the same time NOV
ing toward the zenith from the north. The
brilliancy of the moon seemed to have little
effect on the intensity of the colors which
appeared. The colors were very numerous.
Orange, yellow, rose, ruby-red, peach bios
son. emerald green and numerous interme-
date tints changed and interchanged in beau
tiful confusion. The whole phenomenon OF
waving wreaths, Pickering flames, rays, cur
tains, fringes, bands and flashing colors the
strange confusion of light and motion, pre-
sented picture of which words can convey
very poor idea. The whole display lasted
about thirty minutes. There was also in
tense magnetic disturbance during this time,
the needles being almost unmanageable. The
popularity of this aurora was the lowness in
the atmosphere, several patches of cloud, APP
parently not very elevated, appearing far
above it. 1t did not entirely disappear until
about II mid-dayp